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Facebook adds requirements for page managers amid concern over fakers

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Laura Hautala Former Senior Writer
Laura wrote about e-commerce and Amazon, and she occasionally covered cool science topics. Previously, she broke down cybersecurity and privacy issues for CNET readers. Laura is based in Tacoma, Washington, and was into sourdough before the pandemic.
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Laura Hautala
2 min read
James Martin/CNET

Facebook page managers will need to clear some extra hurdles to prove they aren't fraudsters, the company announced Friday.

"Now, people who manage these Pages will be asked to complete an authorization process in order to continue to post, making it harder for people to administer a Page using a fake or compromised account," wrote Emma Rodgers, director of product marketing, in a blog post.

The announcement comes one week after the social media giant took down 32 accounts and pages it said were fraudulent, and working as part of a coordinated influence campaign.

Facebook and other social media companies are in the spotlight for how they handle trolls, from accounts run by Russian troll-farm called the Internet Research Agency to those labeled with the user's real name but that promote conspiracy theories and lead to harassment.

Once the changes go into effect, Facebook page managers will have to confirm "their primary home location" and will be required to use two-factor authentication. To verify their location, users will be asked to turn on location services in Facebook.

Two factor-authentication requires users to provide a second piece of information along with their passwords to log into their accounts. Currently, Facebook lets users enter a one-time code generated by an app, or use a token system like the Yubikey to prove they aren't just a hacker using a stolen password when they log in.

Facebook is rolling out the changes to pages with large US followings, and enforcement will start "shortly," Rodgers wrote. Page administrators will see a notification at the top of their news feed if the changes apply to them.

"This should only take a few minutes to complete," Rodgers wrote. What's more, it's not optional.

"People won't be able to post on their page if they don't complete the process."

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